Frontier and MDW
 

Frontier is discontinuing DEN-MDW in favor of DEN-ORD.

However, TTN and presumably ILG seasonally will remain with service to MDW. It's anyone guess, but would the strategy for MDW be for Frontier to keep it or close it?, and if kept possibly just unserved airports that Southwest, Delta and others at MDW don't currently serve?

I'm surprised it'd offer ILG-MDW again, when it could probably squeeze in ILG-ORD 2x weekly instead seasonally in the summer. I believe there are more hotels around ORD so it'd offer more options for the ILG leisure crowd during the summer. Plus if it offers TTN-MDW, ILG-ORD is more a differentation and might be preferred for the Chicago suburban crowd that prefer ORD.

I'd think the gate at MDW holds value nonetheless so I'd be somewhat surprised if Frontier leaves MDW even if consolidation has benefit. If Frontier keeps some MDW service, it can be ideal for residents in downtown Chicago moreso than those heading into Chicago.

I'd think maybe it could offer MDW-UST, and if it gets a gate at MIA, maybe MDW-MIA, so some destinational Florida spots for Chicago residents, along with MDW-TTN. Lastly, if it can get a slot pair at JFK, it could offer MDW-JFK which is unserved from Southwest, JetBlue or other network carriers.

I certainly hope that if they continue service from ILG to Chicago it is to MDW. From both a business and tourist perspective it's so much more pleasant than ORD. When I travel to Chicago fro business I use Southwest over US/AA/UA most of the time for this reason. ORD to downtown stinks in every way... both traffic and via CTA. I don't think most tourists travel to Chicago to stay in an airport hotel anyway.

I agree that MDW is easier to use to reach downtown.

However - In the summer time when Frontier wants to fly ILG-MDW, hotel rooms in downtown Chicago are quite expensive or sold out, easily twice what it is between January-March. Even the MDW airport hotels are fewer in number than ORD airport hotels, so those rooms become expensive. There are about 8 decent hotels by MDW (Marriott, Hilton, etc.) but I think over twice or three times more by ORD including more 2 star and 3 star hotels, which likely gives the leisure pax more choices.

A quick look at Starwood's site, and this is for Sep. 23 (technically after summer), and the downtown rooms are all over $250/night. They have about 3 ORD hotels to choose from with rooms in the low $100s, but no MDW hotels.

So, for the pure leisure crowd like Frontier's run on MDT-MDW and ILG-MDW assuming this is summer, some customers might be priced out of the downtown hotel rooms or unable to attain them, and if they want to avoid a rental car, the only other option is an airport hotel.

I've wondered if MDT-MDW would have performed better on MDT-ORD with flight time mid-day or later so that pax coming from 2 hours drive away (from MDT) can use it, but anyways MDT-Chicago is likely over with Frontier. Atleast ILG is fortunate to be on the seasonal list.